Rotary internal combustion engine



Nov. 19, 1940. H. F. WOLSTENHOLME 2,222,133

ROTARY mTERN LcoMBusTmN ENGINE Filed April 3, 1959 s Sheet-Sheet 1 INVENTOR, Marry znlfi nlolme,

RH QM "H E 8 m5 7 Q2 n n 0AM fi J 0 Snug WW QNN. mm m 3 33% m u 3n Q L w w H 3 Q ATTORNEY.

1940- m H. F. WOLSTENHOLME 2,222,133

ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE INVENTOR, l/amry F'Wolnm lwZ Me,

ATTORNEY.

Nov. 19, 1940. H. F. WOLSTENHOLME 2,222,133

ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed April 3, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR, Ha rry Z/ fl zawbplme,

v ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 19 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I 2,222,133 v noramr manual. coMaUs'noN ENGINE Harry F. Wolstenholme, Paterson, N. J. Application April 3, 1939, Serial No. 255,642

' 31 Claims, (Cl. 123-11) connected to said oscillatory means, for oscillating the latter.

The present "invention contemplates certain improvements in engines of this type having for their objects in general, though more particularly pointed out hereinafter and apparent to those skilled in the art, to simplify the construction and increase the sturdinessand stability of the engine as'well as its eiiiciency. in the drawings,

v Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the engine, with the near head and one-half of the cylinder removed and parts'of the fixed structure shown in section; I

'i igs. 2.and 3' are sections on lines 2-2 and respectively, Fig. 1;-

- Fig. i is a fragmentary. side elevation of the rotor, with screws omitted;

or piston structure in Fig. 1; 1 I v V Fig: 6 is an edge view, partly in sectionfof one of the heads of the fixed structure and the adjacent sealing ring; and 1 Fig. 7 is a sectional detail in the central plane of the engine transverse of the main shaft, showing a piston and a rotor abutment and a fragifnent of the rotor. I

The stat0r.--This includes a cylinder I formed annular and; ma plane bisecting. the cylinder and transverse of the'axis around which it is developed as an annulus, divided into two substantially counterpart sections or halves, they 5 having exterior flanges Iw bolted together, with,

annular sealing means 2 between them. The stator also includes a pair of heads which are secured to the cylinder by screws 4, being reverse counterparts oi. each other and shaped to pron vide inner cavities 3a. With the .innerperimeter, portion of the cylinder they $0 to iorm a housing,

, whose interior forms what I term a working space,-as.wil l, appear. The heads support ball bearings 5 coaxial with the cylinder. The cylin- 55 der has its inner perimetrical portion cut away Fig. ii is a side elevation of the near oscillator in conformity with an imaginary'cylinder coaxial with the bearings 5, thus leaving an inner annular opening which develops as a slot 6 in view of the presence of sealing rings I concentric with and in wiping contact with the cylindrical surfaces I! 8 of the cylinderand which have lugs Ia (Fig. 6) intermeshing with lugs 3b of the heads whereby to prevent rotation of the rings while permitting them to be inwardly adjusted, as by screws 9 (Fig. 3) tapped into the heads and bearing againstv m the rings. Said rings are to have wiping contact with the annuli of the piston structures, as, will appear, so as to seal ofl the interior of the cylinder from the atmosphere. The stator also includes a fixedgear, as will appear. 7 I a i0 is the main shaft rotative in the bearings 5 and forming a part of the rotor, the rotor proper of which is constructed thus: It includes an annulus I I continuously channeled at its outer perimeter, an annular element generally designated I2 in Fig. 4 and embracing the annulus, and abutments fast tosaid element. .The annulus has a huh I la. to which it is integrally connected by opposed spokes IIb having bearings lIc eccentric of and on each side of the hub, whlchis keyed to the shaft. Element I2 is T- shaped in cross-section (Fig. 3), its horizontal ,portionprweb I 2;; closely fitting the annulus as to form with the channel of the latter an annular chamber I3, said element being rigidly secured to the annulus by screws I4 (Fig. 1) pen'e trating the annulus andtapped into said element. The vertical part of the T, or flange I2b of said element, is to occupy slot 6 such flange has radial passages I2c.to connect the interior of the cylin- .35

der with chamber I3; At the clockwise side (Fig. 4) of each such passageis an abutment I5 having a lug I5a.by which it is held to the perimeter of the web 121). of element I2. by a screw I6 and 'also having an approximately half-cylindrical 4 skirt I5b which projects anti-clockw' e as here.

shown. There are in this example eight passages I20 and eight abutments-equidistantly spaced around the axis of the engine. It will be understood that, as shown in Fig. 3; each abutment fits, the cylinder. i There are two oscillators or oscillatory piston structures. The body portionof'each, generally dwignated I I in Fig. 5, comprises a fiat annulus "a of a diameter to surroundfwith clearance,

theweb portion I 2a of element i2v of the rotor;

a diamet'ric spoke IIb lying generally in a plane flanking that of the annulus but having its ends 'I'la: (Fig. 3) bent outof such plane ad merging into the annulus and also having a central hub 1 bearing lld eccentric of the hub, and the spoke He, said spoke of one piston structure having a of the other piston structure also having such an eccentric bearing l'ld but arranged in an angular arm H which is offset laterally from the same side of the spoke as the lugs He: and lugs He at the perimeter of the annulus and offset laterally therefrom at the side thereof opposite the spoke. There are four pistons I8 respectively secured to the lugs by screws I9, these and the lugs being equidistantly spaced around the annulus, and the pistons have approximately halfcylindrical skirts I8a projecting clockwise. In the sense that these lugs We are offset laterally in opposite directions when assembled with the rotor, the piston structures are reverse counterparts, though in that state their skirts all project in the same direction.

The rotor and piston structures are arranged as follows in the housing formed by the cylinder I and heads 3: The rotor, with its shaft l0 journaled in the bearings 5, has the flange l2b of its element 12 reaching through slot 6 and its abutments in and fitting the cylinder. The piston structures flank the rotor, one at each side thereof, and are journaled on the shaft, their annuli Ila occupying said slot with the flange I2b of said element between them and the pistons ill in and fitting the cylinder; the pistons of one piston structure alternate with those of the other and the eight pistons alternatewith the eight abutments of the rotor, the skirts of the abutments here lapping outwardly those of the pistons. Thus what I term an open space 20, because via the corresponding passage [20 of the rotor it communicates with the chamber l3 of the latter, ex-

- ists between each piston and abutment whoses skirts lap each other; and between each piston and the other abutment next adjoining exists what I term a closed or explosion space 2|. The explosion spaces, as will appear, have communication with the intake and exhaust; the open spaces have communication only with each other via the chamber l3, being prevented from communication with the intake and exhaust on passing the same by the' overlapping skirts. The rings 1 coact with the piston structure annuli and the flange l2b ofthe rotor (all these parts being held in wiping contact with each other by the screws 9) to close off the interior of the cylinder from the atmosphere via slot 6. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the piston structure having the arm I1 is arranged with such arm projecting into, and thus having the bearing I'lcl of that piston structure in, the same plane as that occupied by the other piston structure.

Journaled in the bearings lie of the rotor are crank shafts 22 parallel with the main shaft l0 and having cranks 22a at 'the same side of the rotor as the bearings l'ld of the piston structures. Links '23 respectively link these cranks with the piston structures, each link having one end journaled on the crank and its other end equipped with a stud 23a journaled in the corresponding bearing lid. The cavity 3a inthe adjoining head 3 houses the links and portions of the piston structures. The other end of each crank has fast thereto a planet gear 24 and this meshes with a fixed annular sun gear 25 arranged in the cavity. 3a of the other head.

There are diametrically opposite exhaust and intake ports 21 and 26, respectively, and at 28 are ignition devices, as spark plugs.

The gear ratio of the planet gears to the sun gear is as 4' to 1. The rotor rotates as per the arrow a in Fig. 1; the planet gears as per the arrows b.

Operation.0f course, since the piston structures are connected with the rotor through the crankshafts and links, they partake of the rotation of the rotor, at the same time undergoing oscillation, to wit, in opposite directions. Thus, in Fig. 1, in view of the positions of the cranks 22a the near piston structure approximates its counter-clockwise limit and the far piston struc- I ture its clockwise limit. That 24 to say, as to the four explosion spaces 2| corresponding to the near piston structure, they are approximately reduced to their minima, whereas as to the four spaces corresponding to the far piston structure and lower spaces, exhaust being about completed,

intake is about to occur; as to the right and left spaces corresponding to the far piston, they are about to begin exhaust and the upper, and lower spaces about to begin compression of the charges which they have intaken.

Otherwise stated, the operation, at least generally, is the same as in my Patent No. 2,124,327. That is, in the rotation of the rotor and, with it,

' the planet gears relatively to the stator, the

planet gears rotate on their own axes, and the links and piston-levers (in effect here constituted by the piston structures) oscillate-with consetiuent expansion and contraction of the corre sponding closed spaces of the cylinder-during each revolution of the rotor, to wit. expansion when any such space coincides with the intake to draw in a fresh fuel charge, contraction to compress the charge, which is fired at 28, expansion involving application of power through-the piston lever, linkand planet gear to effect the propulsion, and contraction to expel the spent fuel charge at the exhaust.

In the present instance, instead of relief for the pressure and suction developed in the open spaces 2| being afforded by the main or working space of the engine (which is the space between the heads 3 and surrounded by the cylinder), such relief is afforded by a relief chamber, as

I3, existing in one of the parts which reach into the cylinder (to wit, rotor and piston structure,

4 such part being here the rotor), which chamber piston structures have their motion, lubricantmay be contained.

In order to contribute to compactness, the arrangement is such that the linking of the planet gears to the piston structures is at one side and the sun gear at the other side of the rotor; however, I' do not wish to be limited to both linkings being at the same side.

Each of the parts comprising the rotor and the piston structures is characterized by a rigid annular portion (annulus In or llalwith respect to which the abutments or pistons are in fixed relation, whereby to eliminate practically all centrifugal and angular displacement of such pistons or abutments.

The cylinder, necessarily having a continuous opening to admit the rotor and its abutments,

the

has such opening closed by these annuli of the rotor and piston structures, each opening developing as a slot 6 in view of the rings 1, in effect parts (non-rotative) of the stator, though here adjustable axially so as to seal the slot in effect hermetically.

Each piston structure is here characterized by an annulus having 8. lug Me which is oifset out of the plane of the annulus so as to overreach the annulus of the rotor.

It is not indispensable that the spoke of each piston structure have its ends llxbent oil? so that the annulus is in a plane flanking that of such spoke, though such is desirable in order to obtain a chamber I! of adequate capacity.

I do not wish to be limited to details set forth in the preceding description which are not specifically recited in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A. rotary internal combustion engine including two elements one of which is rotary and one of which includes a cylinder formed annular and with an opening extending continuously around the main axis of the-engine and the other of which is coaxial with and has an abutment in the cylinder, means coactive with thesecondnamed element to close said opening and including a piston structure oscillatory coaxially with cylinder and arranged at one side of the second-named element and having an abutment in the cylinder, the first-named element having a fixed gear at said side of said second-named element and also concentric with the cylinder, a rotary device journaled in and eccentrically of and having a pinion meshing with said gear at the first-named side and a crank at the other side of the second-named element, said secondnarned element having an eccentric aperture and the piston structure having a part thereof proiecting through said aperture to said other side of the second-named element and freely oscillatory in the aperture, and a link at said other side of the second-named element connecting the crank and said part.

2; A. rotary internal combustion engine includof which includes a cylinder formed annular and with an openingextending continuously around the main axis of the engine 'and the other of which is coaxial with and has an abutment in the cylinder, 2. piston structure oscillatory coaxially with and having a piston in the cylinder, and means, operatively connecting said elements, for oscillating the piston structure, the space in the cylinder at one side of the piston and between the latter and the abutment being an explosion space and the engine having means, consisting of annular portions of said piston structure and second-named element substantially concentric with the cylinder, for closing communication between said space and the exterior of the cylinder and which provides wholly within itself a passage affording relief for pressure and suction developed in the space in the cylinder at the opposite side of the piston.

3. A rotary internal combustion engine including two elements one of which is rotary and one of which includes" a cylinder formed annular and with an opening extending continuously around the main axis of the engine and the other of which is coaxial with and has abutments in the cylinder and exterior of the cylinder and developed around and concentric with said axis a relatively thickened hollow portion forming a relief chamber, oscillatory piston structures coaxial with the cylinder and arranged at opposite sides of the second-named element and respectively having annuli surrounding said portion and coactive with the second-named element to close said opening and abutments on said annuli and in the cylinder and alternating with the firstnamed abutments, and means, operatively connecting said elements and connected to said piston structures, for oscillating the latter, the alternate spaces between the several abutments being explosion spaces and the second-named element having ports connecting said relief chamber respectively with the remaining spaces between the several abutments.

HARRY F. WOLSTENHOLLEE. 

